Bridgeport cop shoots self in the leg

Michael P. Mayko, Frank Juliano and Brian Lockhart

Updated 12:28 am, Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Pete Minaya, of Bridgeport, shows Police Chief Joseph Gaudett the spot where a Bridgeport Police Officer was sitting when he accidently shot himself during breakfast at the Bagel King on upper Main St., in Bridgeport, Conn., Dec. 17, 2013.
Photo: Ned Gerard

A bullet hole and shattered window where a Bridgeport Police Officer accidently shot himself during breakfast at the Bagel King on upper Main St., in Bridgeport, Conn., Dec. 17, 2013.
Photo: Ned Gerard

A bullet hole and shattered window where a Bridgeport Police Officer accidently shot himself during breakfast at the Bagel King on upper Main St., in Bridgeport, Conn., Dec. 17, 2013.
Photo: Ned Gerard

BRIDGEPORT --Police sirens blared, strobe lights flashed and tires squealed before skidding to a stop on snow-slick Main Street in front of Bagel King coffee shop Tuesday morning.

Inside, a city cop had been shot and a window blasted out during the morning breakfast rush.

"There had to be 20 detectives, policemen. Everybody was there. (Police Chief) Joe Gaudett showed up," said a patron, who asked not to be identified. "They must have merged on that joint -- Cop down! Cop down!"

But the shooting appears to be an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot to the leg; the officer is hospitalized but recuperating. And it wasn't even his gun.

Finch characterized the discharge as "a serious incident" and said he instructed Gaudett to conduct a full investigation.

"The investigation into the incident and the circumstances surrounding it are in the beginning stages and I want to respect the integrity of that investigation," Gaudett said in a statement released shortly after 5 p.m. "I'm grateful that the officer will be fine. We understand this was a serious incident. At this time, it is important to allow the investigation to take its course."

Burton Weinstein, a longtime civil rights lawyer who has spent decades suing the department, wonders what there is to investigate.

"The Bridgeport Police Department always has had trouble finding the usual suspect in the face of the obvious," said Weinstein. "They always think accountability and responsibility are unclear when it's applied to them ... I will tell you if anyone other than a Bridgeport police officer pulled the trigger in a public place, they'd be facing criminal charges now."

A retired area police supervisor agreed.

"I can tell you what would happen if you did it," said the former supervisor. "You'd be facing an unlawful discharge or at least reckless endangerment charge on the spot. It wouldn't take weeks to investigate."

The incident took place around 9 a.m. while several patrons were enjoying breakfast. Based on interviews, Hearst Connecticut Newspapers was able to piece together the following scenario.

A second officer, who the department has not yet identified, was returning the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol he borrowed from a friend when Santiago picked up the gun off the table they were sitting at.

"It was on the table and he picked it up and cocked it," said the gun owner, a doctor who asked not to be identified. "It wasn't loaded, but there was a magazine in it, and when he cocked it, a bullet moved into the chamber. He pointed it at the floor and he pulled the trigger."

Steve Delcegno, Bagel King's owner, said he had just returned from making a delivery when he saw "about 20 police cars all around" his shop.

He said both Santiago and his fellow officer come into the coffee shop nearly every day.

"I'm sure he's a bit embarrassed by what happened," Delcegno said.

Had it not been for Tuesday's snowstorm, the matter would have been discussed at the regularly scheduled meeting of the city's mayoral-appointed police commission. Gaudett usually briefs the group, but the meeting was canceled.

Thomas Lyons, another police commissioner, said he did not know enough about gun regulations to say whether or not the officers involved should have been arrested.

"It's a good question. What would have happened if it was just a regular gun owner, a guy licensed to carry?" Lyons said.

Lyons referred to Gaudett's characterization of the shooting as an "accidental discharge."

"What that means, I don't know," said the commissioner. "I can't tell you if that's a real wrong or just an accident."

Santiago was taken to St. Vincent's Medical Center, where he was met by family members and a phalanx of cops. "I'm heartened to know the officer will be fine and wish him a speedy recovery," the mayor said.

Meanwhile veteran police officials like retired Bridgeport Lt. John Brenner and retired New Haven Sgt. Vincent Riccio, both of whom are now security consultants, wonder exactly what Santiago was thinking when he pulled the trigger.

"We are taught to treat every gun as if it was loaded," Brenner said. "No exception."

Riccio said officers who pick up guns are taught to open the cylinder or pull the slide back to discharge the magazine before looking inside to see if there is a bullet in the chamber, then remove the bullet if there is one.

"To do what he did in a restaurant is a little far-fetched," Riccio said.

"He's fortunate no one else was injured or even killed," Brenner said.

Still, Brenner said Santiago is "a good cop" but may need some "retraining in the proper handling of weapons."

In 2003, Santiago was among eight officers honored by the Statewide Narcotics Task Force for their work in several drug-related investigations and raids.